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Tony Ferguson slams haters telling him to retire ahead of boxing debut

Mathew Riddle|
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is looking to prove his doubters wrong as he makes his boxing debut at Misfits Boxing 22.

Here, 'El Cucuy' takes on influencer-boxer 'Salt Papi' Nathaniel Bustamante, a fairly well-rounded southpaw puncher and one of the better influencer fighters. Regardless, Ferguson left the UFC on the back of an eight-fight losing streak, and many fans think a loss in Misfits is the final nail in the coffin.

Once on the cusp of fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov for the title, Ferguson now finds himself defending against doubters while he gears up to fight a social media personality.

Tony Ferguson fighting Justin Gaethj
Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Tony Ferguson sends heated message to haters ahead of Misfits Boxing match against Salt Papi

A recharged Ferguson appeared at the Misfits Boxing 22 presser and face-offs. Afterwards, during an interview with Ariel Helwani, he responded to fans doubting his abilities.

"90-percent of the f----- comments out there are saying that I'm washed up, I'm old, and I should fucking retire," Ferguson remarked. "They're saying that because they can't f------- do this s--- that I'm doing.

"The other 20-percent is saying that Salt Papi is gonna knock me out, so 100-percent of you b------ are out there hating on me. You know what? That's more fuel for my fire."

Ferguson was once a bogeyman in the UFC's lightweight division, riding a twelve-fight winning streak in his prime. He won the interim title in 2017 and fought three more times with the belt, while fights with Khabib Nurmagomedov failed to materialize.

Ferguson x Khabib is one of, if not the biggest, what-if storyline in the UFC. Their fight was scheduled to take place five times, but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted their final booking. Justin Gaethje stepped in for Nurmagomedov on short notice and snapped Ferguson's winning streak.

It's possible in an alternative timeline that Ferguson didn't cut weight twice to fight Gaethje, and never endured an eight-fight skid in the promotion. Unfortunately, MMA is a cruel sport that doesn't take prisoners.

The best Ferguson can do is prove doubters wrong with a successful debut in Misfits on August 30.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with half a decade of digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, and Heavy on UFC. He runs Warrior Tribune and can be contacted by his Muckrack profile.

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